Lithium
by BatteredChild
Summary: Sarah is suffering from depression and it's taking it's toll on her life. Can she be saved or is it too late? JS
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or anything recognisable.**

**Warning: This fic involves somebody suffering depression and it's symptoms including talk of suicide and self-harm. There shouldn't be anything graphic but if you're uncomfortable about that kind of thing then I'd advise you to hit the 'back' button now. **

**Lithium**

**Chapter 1**

Sarah sat alone in her apartment and stared through unseeing eyes at the box in her hand. She had finally been to see a doctor. Her few friends were worried about her, though none were quite sure what to do or say about her behaviour. She'd been having trouble getting to sleep each night and then no matter how long she slept she just couldn't get out of bed in the morning to go to classes. So she missed them and she dropped farther and farther behind. She knew she'd begin failing soon but couldn't bring herself to care. Her appetite had diminished drastically and when she did eat it was never much. Her old high school habit of self-harm had come back stronger than ever and she didn't even know why.

The first time Sarah's thoughts had drifted towards suicide she had pushed those thoughts aside knowing that they were stupid. But those thoughts were coming more and more often and were becoming increasingly difficult to push aside as nothing. She was cutting herself more often and no matter how deep she seemed to go it was never enough. Lately the only thing that had been stopping her was when there was simply too much blood and she couldn't soak up anymore without stopping.

When one day Sarah came to the realisation that her behaviour was destroying her life she finally took herself off to the doctor; this visit had led to her current situation. The doctor had given her a box of anti-depressants. He told her they would help with her mood, her difficulties sleeping and the thoughts of suicide. He had also given her a referral for a psychologist to help find what had caused her problems.

Yet for some reason she couldn't bring herself to take them. She wasn't sure if she could even function normally anymore, she could barely remember a time where she hadn't felt like this. It had begun when she was fifteen, though she had gotten over it; or so she had thought. When she was seventeen these feelings, thoughts, her loss of control had started again, but once more they went away with time. Now at twenty they had returned full force and worse than ever before.

She knew that she should take the pills. They would help her. And she knew that she needed help. She even wanted help. Just not in the form of pills or a psychologist. Sarah was almost certain that if only she had someone who cared for her, loved her even that she could get better. The thoughts that haunted her at night as she tried to sleep, the aching fatigue she felt no matter how long she slept. The self-harm…

But there was nobody who cared for her. She didn't even know where her mother was at this stage, her father had died of a heart attack two years ago and Karen and Toby had moved away and no longer contacted her and she had no way of getting in touch with them. She had a few friends, but she wasn't very close with any of them and she didn't have a boyfriend.

There was one though. But no, she dismissed that thought as quickly as it had come.

"Don't be ridiculous Sarah, there never was a Labyrinth, or a Goblin King…none of it was real. It was only a dream," she muttered to herself, she shook her head and finally got up from her position on the floor. She deposited the box of pills on the kitchen counter and went through to her bedroom and let down on the bed, for once quickly falling into the darkness of sleep.

xxx

_A/N: I was just going to keep writing and make this a one-shot but I thought I'd break it up and write a couple of chapters. This won't be very long and if everyone thinks it's crap anyway I won't worry about continuing. I haven't written anything in a while and anything Laby in even longer so forgive me if there's too many errors._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Lithium**

**Chapter 2**

Jareth watched listlessly as the teenage boy, Malcolm…Matthew…whatever his name was, wandered around aimlessly at the gates of the Labyrinth. He'd been out there for three hours now and still hadn't even worked out how to get inside the Labyrinth let alone make his way through to the end.

Slowly Jareth stood and transformed into his owl form before flying out the window and towards the hilltop where the boy was now sat, having given up his quest to find his way through the Labyrinth and rescue his four year old brother.

It was not long before Jareth reached the boy and changed back to his 'human' form. Matthew, or Malcolm, jumped up from the ground and headed over to him.

"Look I'm sorry I wished Thomas away ok. Can't I just have my brother back so we can get out of here?"

Jareth cocked his head to the side, a thoughtful expression upon his pale face. "Ah but you see therein lies the problem. You wished that the goblins would take your brother away. You were unable to make it past the gates and into the Labyrinth so you have no hope of retrieving him from my castle. Why should I simply give him back to you? You have nothing to offer me in return for the child and I could do with another goblin."

"Please no, I didn't mean it. I mean, I was mad at him but he's my little brother. Please, you have to give him back."

The Goblin King surveyed the sight of the boy before him. He was only about thirteen years old, dusty blonde hair like that of his younger brother's, not too short for a boy his age. There were tears of frustration welled in his eyes but he was struggling valiantly not to let them fall.

With a sigh Jareth spoke to the boy. "Are you sure that you want your brother returned to you? If you wish, I could give you your very dreams. Anything your heart desires," a crystal appeared in his hand and he began roll it back and forth between his hands. For a moment the boy seemed dazed, watching the movement of the crystal but then his gaze snapped away from the sight and he drew himself up as tall as he could before shaking his head.

"No. I don't care about my dreams. I just want my baby brother back and to go home."

Jareth dropped the crystal and in an instant the boy was gone, as was the younger child who had been back at the castle. He had returned them both home and they wouldn't remember their time there, well not as anything more than a strange dream. Jareth knew the older boy truly loved his brother and had not meant to wish him away.

In fact the only time that Jareth ever kept a child was if they were wished away by parents who truly didn't love them; they were the parents that wished their child away and immediately took their dreams over trying to win their child back. Not that he really gave them their dreams mind you. No, in fact he made them suffer for what they had done, granting them only nightmares and the worst of luck in their lives. The child though, would be raised in his world by a loving family that truly cared for them.

xxx

Sarah lay on her bed staring listlessly at the ceiling. It was Friday night, and yet again she was alone. She rolled over and pressed play on her stereo, turning the volume up as well, she knew there would be no complaints as most people would be out at this time on a Friday. She skipped to the track she wanted and turned off the small lamp beside her bed and laid back letting the music wash over her.

A few days earlier she had caved and taken one of the little pills the doctor had given her. All it had done was make her tired and she had slept late the next morning and missed her class. She continued to take them though, hoping that perhaps they would help. They weren't making her so tired now but she felt as if her emotions had been locked up inside of her with no release.

She wanted to cry, to scream, to feel something; anything at all.

Her breathing sped up and became uneven and suddenly she was crying, sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't help it, and as much as she wanted to stop she also wanted to lose herself in the tears, let them wash all of her pain away.

Eventually the tears stopped and sat up slowly looking around in the darkness and wishing she were anywhere else. So long as she was with someone who cared. Someone who could make all of her pain, her sorrow, go away.

xxx

_AN: Thank you to those who reviewed! Sorry this is a bit short but I'm dealing with some real life stuff and don't have much time to write. Wanted to get this up though to let you guys know I am continuing. I'll update when I can, hopefully by next weekend. Let me know what you think._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or anything recognisable.**

**Warning: This fic involves somebody suffering depression and it's symptoms including talk of suicide and self-harm. There's one little graphic cutting scene in this chapter so if you're squemish you may want to skip that part. Could also be triggering.**

**Lithium**

**Chapter 3**

Sarah woke to someone knocking on the door. She groaned and burrowed further under the blankets hoping that they'd go away.

They didn't and soon she heard a voice calling out to her. Realising it was one of her only remaining friends she dragged herself out of bed and to the front door. She opened it and was pushed aside as Gabrielle entered the room.

"You were asleep. Why were you asleep?"

Sarah shrugged and yawned. "I dunno, I was asleep because I'm tired."

Gabrielle gave her an appraising look and then nodded her head. "Right then, go and get dressed and we're going out for lunch."

"Lunch?"

The slightly taller red head grabbed Sarah's arm and steered her towards the bedroom. "Yes lunch Sarah. It's nearly 12.30 and I'm hungry and you need to get out of here and you certainly look like you need to eat even if you don't feel like it."

"Oh, um alright then I guess," Sarah pulled her arm out of Gabrielle's grip and went into her room. "Just give me five minutes alright."

XXX

Sarah unlocked the door and entered her apartment switching a light on as she walked in. Walking over to the kitchen bench she set down her keys and wallet and then went into her bedroom and lay on her bed.

Gabrielle had made her go and get lunch earlier that day; it went fairly well with Gabrielle only nagging her about her eating habits a little. She had wanted to go straight home afterwards but her friend was having none of it.

Sarah had been dragged to the mall where she and Gabrielle had wandered for a few hours, buying nothing, but that hadn't bothered the exuberant red head. She was just happy that she had convinced Sarah to get out of the house.

The brunette looked over at her dressing table and once more found herself fantasizing about a dream she once had. After gazing longingly at the darkened reflection in the mirror she abruptly stood and retrieved a blade from a small box she kept hidden in one o her drawers. Not that she really needed to hide it a she lived alone, but for some reason she couldn't keep them in plain sight.

The first incision she made into her forearm was fairly shallow, but the cuts got progressively deeper until some were beginning to bleed quite heavily. She pressed some tissues against the wounds to stem the blood flow and pulled them away a few minutes later. For some time she sat there on her bed simply staring; watching as a few stray drops of blood traveled down her arm. Feeling that it still wasn't enough she began to go over one of the deeper cuts. She was surprised at how much blood there was and began to grow a little concerned at the length of time before it slowed. Still, it didn't seem enough. Before long there was an alarmingly deep wound in her arm and she belatedly realised how much worse it would have been had the cut been made closer to her wrist. She put pressure on the wound hoping to slow the blood flow and once more caught herself staring at the mirror.

"I need you. I need you so much, I'm so lost without you, all of you," she whispered to herself. She looked away and pulled the soaked tissue from her arm before grabbing a few more to replace those she had just discarded.

Finally Sarah realised she would have to get this tended to and stood, a little shakily, and left her bedroom.

She never noticed the reflection in the mirror change, nor the sad eyes that watched her leave the room, taking in the pile of bloody tissues in the small bin she kept beside her bed.

xxx

_AN: sorry for both the delay and the shortness of this chapter. I started it a while ago but haven't had a chance to finish it due to RL. Will try to update soon but no promises as I currently have a couple of stitches in my arm and it's beginning to hurt. So since they don't come out til next Friday I may not update for a week or 2._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of it's characters, places etc. **

**AN: Sorry for the delay and the short length of this chapter. I've been away a lot recently and when I have written it's been oneshots only. I do plan on finishing this. It'll probably be about 10 chapters long. **

**Warning: This fic involves somebody suffering depression and it's symptoms including talk of suicide and self-harm. There shouldn't be anything graphic but if you're uncomfortable about that kind of thing then I'd advise you to hit the 'back' button now. **

**Lithium**

**Chapter 4**

She had been sitting in the clinic's waiting room for a little over an hour. It had been surprisingly quiet when she had arrived and now she would be the next to go in.

After about five minutes she heard her name called and went through to the doctor's office. He took a look at the deep wound on her arm and almost flinched at the expression on his face.

"Now Sarah have you been taking the medication I prescribed you?"

She nodded slowly and watched as he poked and prodded at her arm around the wound. The blood began to well up again and she looked away. "Yes, I have been taking it."

"Has it helped at all yet?" He was still looking at her arm, pushing the skin together to see whether it stitching.

"Not really, no," was her quiet reply.

"Well that's not unusual. It generally takes about two weeks for it to have any real effect. Now I'll just have to put a couple of sutures in this so it heals properly. Just lay down on the bed with your arm out beside you," he gestured towards the high thin bed on the other side of the small room and she stood moving over to it and lying down as instructed.

The doctor stood and collected a few items from a cabinet before pulling up a stool to one side of the bed. He moved her arm out onto a metal table that he had wheeled over and switched on the light beside the bed.

She didn't look as he injected the local anesthetic into the wound, wincing as he did. A few moments later the area was numb and he was set about putting in the stitches. This time she did look, watching on with a mixture of disgust and fascination as he sealed the wound. As it began to bleed again the small punctures from the needle trickled blood she felt her stomach roll but still watched. Almost twenty minutes later she finally free to go with five neat black sutures in her arm.

"You'll have to come back in five to seven days to get them taken out, and be sure to keep them dry for at least three days."

He handed her a fresh dressing to be put on in two days time and she quickly left the small office giving him a murmured thanks.

XXX

Later than night she sat on her bed pulling at the gauze stuck to the stitches. Finally she got up and changed into a pair of loose sweat pants and a singlet before getting into bed.

As she did Sarah felt the strangest sensation of being watched. Putting it down to paranoia she soon fell into an uneasy sleep.

XXX

Jareth watched the girl in a crystal. He longed to be with her, to help her. It was driving him mad seeing her in such pain, that she was causing herself so much damage and he could do nothing about it but watch.

When he was sure she was asleep he threw the crystal, shattering the glass. He looked at the mess of glass shards littering the floor and with a wave banished them. Summoning another crystal he set about watching her once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth or it's characters.**

**Warning: Contains mature themes such as depression and self harm, though this chapter is reasonably light on those things.**

**AN: Thanks to those of you who reviewed, they are very much appreciated. And look, I actually updated in a reasonable amount of time! Amazing isn't it. **

**Chapter 5 **

Jareth knew that he needed to pull himself out of the depression that had begun to slowly consume him ever since his defeat at the hands of one Sarah Williams. He also knew that he had no idea of how he could do this. He was in love with the girl who had defeated him and as she sunk further and further into a black pit of despair and self harm, he too was suffering with seemingly no way out.

The goblins needed him to take charge of things once more, he had a kingdom to run after all and it's inhabitants all looked to him for leadership and lately he had been lax with his ruling and it was time that he remedied that. 

If only he could reach her. He knew that if he could only reach her, speak with her, that he could help both himself and Sarah. He only needed to figure out how to get in contact with her.

Xxx

As Sarah sat on the bed running her finger over the sutures marring her arm she thought of a time where she had friends, where she had felt cared for. She couldn't help but think that the only time she had ever really felt true friendship and caring was her time within the Labyrinth. 

"How sad is that," she muttered to herself. "The only comparison you have to real friends is in a childish dream." She shook her head and turned to the mirror making a half hearted attempt at looking presentable. As she ran a brush through her hair she thought she saw something flicker in the mirror. She paused mid stroke and turned around, searching for anything that could have fallen over or caught her eye in the mirror. There was nothing out of place and as she thought about it she realised that this was not the first time that she had seen movement in the mirror when there should have been none.

She stared at the mirror for a long moment before returning to brushing her hair. She let her mind wander and it wasn't long before she saw that flicker once more. She tried to tell herself that it was nothing, just her imagination, or her eyes playing tricks on her but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than that.

Once more she let her mind play over the events in her dream from when she was fourteen years old. She knew that she was being stupid and childish but she was beyond caring. Brushing aside the more logical part of her mind she let herself relive the dream as well as the events after. For the first time in over five years she let out that part of herself that believed in fantasy and magic and stopped thinking that the Labyrinth was nothing more than a dream. She knew what she was going to do and if this didn't work then she could easily enough shut off that part of herself once more, locking it away as if it never existed in the first place. 

Xxx

Jareth her been trying to come with some solution to his problem and so far had come up with nothing helpful. Sarah had to realise that the Labyrinth, and he himself, were not mere figment of her imagination. Oddly enough he had the sense that now would be the best time for her to begin to understand this. She had practically no friends, nor anyone who really seemed to care for her. She was miserable and would hopefully be looking for something in her life that made her happy, if only for a little while. Perhaps her childhood dreams would be that thing. 

If she began to think about the Labyrinth hard enough it was far more likely that she would begin to notice when he was watching her, even if she didn't know what it was at the time. As long as she let herself believe Jareth was sure that he would be able to make contact with her. She only need think his name.

Xxx

Sarah began to pace back and forth across her room, concentrating on that dream, on the friends she had made there, the places she had been. There was one person in particular who she thought of most of all. She wished that he would save her; if anyone could she knew it would be him. If only he were real. 

She stood in front of her mirror and concentrated on all her memories of that night, and of the snowy owl she had seen in park just before it started to rain that day, as well as at her window that night after her dream. This was not the first time she had thought of these things but it was the first time she had really let herself go while doing so. 

Although she had called to them a few times she had never really believed while doing so, and never once had she called a name. If she was ever going to do so, now would be the time. She reached out and lightly touched the mirror before murmuring one word. 

"Jareth."

Xxx

He couldn't believe it; she had actually done it, not just thought of him but actually said his name aloud. He summoned a crystal and quickly looked in on her, she was before the mirror, reaching out and whispering his name. 

For a brief moment he considered making her wait, after all he had been waiting for years. He quickly reconsidered, thinking of her emotional state, if he didn't appear then she would hate him, as well as doubt herself to the point where she no longer believed. No, he had to go now. 

Xxx

Not even a minute had passed but Sarah had already begun to doubt. She pushed those thoughts aside and whispered his name once more. Finally she pulled back and waited, hoping fervently that she wasn't simply delusional, that she was right about all this. 

She moved away and sat back on her bed; lying back against the pillows and letting her fears take over, feeling the tears come despite her best efforts not to let them. He hadn't come, though it hadn't been long since she had called him. But she had thought he would simply be there immediately after, if at all. She was surprised in that she still believed it all to be true; she simply wasn't worth it to him. 

She closed her eyes and began to scratch at her arm, a little above the stitches, and felt her nails breaking the skin, only to be stopped a moment later by a strong, warm hand. 

She opened glassy green eyes and looked at the hand that had stilled her own. She let her eyes travel upwards, following an arm that was clad in a loose white shirt, before reaching a partially exposed, pale chest. Finally she let her eyes travel the rest of the path upwards and met a pair of mismatched eyes.

Despite working herself up to this very moment not so long ago, and then doubting it to ever occur minutes later, he was here, really and truly here. It was too much for her mind to process. She felt as if she couldn't breathe, saw the concern on his face as she gasped for air, the last thing she saw before she passed out was his lips forming her name. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of it's characters, places etc. **

**AN: I finally got to finish this chapter. It's been half written for ages but I've had a lot of computer isses and never got to finish it until tonight. I finally got a new laptop so I should be able to finish this up a lot faster now. **

**Warning: This fic involves somebody suffering depression and it's symptoms including talk of suicide and self-harm. There shouldn't be anything graphic but if you're uncomfortable about that kind of thing then I'd advise you to hit the 'back' button now. **

**Lithium**

**Chapter 6**

When Jareth arrived in Sarah's bedroom he realised that his hesitation had almost caused the young woman before him to completely unravel. He cursed himself as he took in the sight of her scratching at her arm, digging her nails in harshly and tearing at the skin.

He reached out and stilled her hand, watching as her gaze slowly moved up to his face. He was about to speak when he saw her eyes become glazed and her breathing become rapid and shallow. He tried to calm her but before he had a chance to do anything but call her name her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed, falling forward against his chest as he moved forward to stop her fall.

Jareth laid her back on the bed and sat beside her sighing and rubbing a hand over his face. He glanced back at her and noted that while she may be unconscious at least her panic attack had subsided. He only hoped that when she woke up she didn't think it had been a dream and then have the same problem when noticing him.

He was just happy that he had not delayed any longer. He looked down at her arm, letting his eyes trace the scars that marred the once perfect, creamy flesh. His eyes stopped on the stitches, the black thread standing out harshly against her skin. He wished that she had never left him, that he had been able to help her before things got to this point. But there was nothing to be done about that, he was there now and he would do everything in his power to help her, and to keep her.

Xxx

Sarah woke, her eyes opening slowly and she blinked trying to bring the room into focus. She wondered what had happened and why she had been asleep. As she went to sit up she realised that there was something, or rather, someone else on her bed. She looked over to see the blonde Goblin King from her dream and the events before she had passed out came back to her. For a moment she thought that it had been a dream, but the blonde man on her bed quickly dissuaded her of that assumption. It had been real, and now Jareth was here, on her bed. To top it all off she had passed out just after he had arrived. She almost let out a groan but stopped herself before she did.

Apparently she had made some noise as the blonde Goblin King looked over at her from his perch on the edge of her bed. He had been lost in thought and he hadn't realised that she had woken.

"Sarah," he said softly.

"I thought it was all a dream," she murmured in way of a response.

Jareth nodded slowly, "I know you did. If I had been able to contact you before now I would have but there was no way. I could not contact you in any form until you acknowledged the Labyrinth as anything more than a dream, until you acknowledged me as real. When you spoke my name I could finally come to you."

She sat there in silence, contemplating all he said for a long moment before finally speaking. "All those times I saw something move in the mirror, or felt as though I was being watched, that was you?"

"Yes Sarah, it was. I know what you have been doing to yourself," he watched as she glanced down at her arm before looking back at him. "I've seen you, and I've wanted to help you, to stop you, but I was unable; until now at least. Sarah, return with me to the Labyrinth. You will never have to be alone again and you can heal in both mind and body."

"I-I don't even know you, not really," she shook her head quickly. "How can I just leave with you?"

"Quite easily Sarah, in any case I will not allow you to remain here alone, I won't lose you again."

Eventually Sarah spoke, "Alright, I'll go with you. But first I have to sort things out here. I need to drop out of my classes; I'm failing anyway so it doesn't matter. And there's one person who I'll need to tell that I'm leaving. She's the only one who'll notice and I don't want her thinking I've just left without a word, or gone and done something foolish."

"Of course, would you like me to come with you?"

She gave him a rather odd, but amused look. "I ah, don't think you'll quite blend in with the crowd."

He smirked and summoned a crystal, dropping it to the floor a moment later. Sarah waited to hear it smash and followed it with her eyes. Instead it disappeared mid fall and when she looked back up Jareth was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a dark blue shirt, his blonde mane of hair tied back in a low pony tail.

"You were saying?"

She stopped staring at him and blushed slightly. "Well if you don't mind leaving for a moment I'll get changed and we can go." She checked the time and saw that it was just after five, she had an hour before the admin office on campus closed, plenty of time.

Jareth left the room, waiting outside her bedroom and looking around her small apartment as Sarah changed. Once she was dressed in a pair of jeans and a black long sleeved shirt, she came out, slipping on a pair of boots in the lounge room. Brushing her hair back from her face Sarah looked over at the blonde.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

"Of course, lead the way," he moved beside her and took hold of her arm, linking it with his own. Sarah looked up at him and gave a small smile. Jareth looked at her eyes searchingly and when he had found what he was looking for he turned away and Sarah lead them out the door.

Xxx

It didn't take them long to sort out her leaving college, she explained that due to health problems she would have to leave and she would be leaving the state anyway and as such would be unable to attend any longer. The woman in the administration office they spoke to simply nodded in understanding and gave her a form to fill out.

Once that was done they left and Jareth turned to Sarah as they walked down the street. "So, where to now?"

Sarah didn't answer for a moment but finally sighed and glanced at him, still walking. "I have to let a friend know that I'm leaving. She's the only one who would worry if I just disappeared. She lives on campus so it's not far."

They walked in relative silence for the next ten minutes or so until they reached a building that Sarah told Jareth was her friend's dorm.

They entered the building and after walking up two flights of stairs they walked down a corridor until Sarah stopped in front of one of the doors and knocked. The door opened less than a minute later, revealing a slender red head, a little taller than Sarah.

"Sarah!" she cried, smiling brightly at the brunette. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Gabrielle, I need to talk to you, mind if we come in?"

"We?" she finally seemed to notice the blonde behind her friend. "Hey who's the blonde? And is he single?" she mock whispered.

Sarah rolled her eyes and pushed past Gabrielle into the room, Gabrielle stepped back and motioned for Jareth to enter before closing the door behind them.

"Gabrielle meet Jareth, Jareth this is my friend Gabrielle."

They nodded at one another and Gabrielle sat down on her bed, telling the other two to take a seat on the old couch against one of the walls. "So what did you want to tell me?" she asked once they were seated.

"I don't really know how to tell you this, but I'm dropping out and moving away."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. Jareth is an old friend of mine and he tracked me down not long ago, he's asked me to move in with him, out of state. I'm failing everything anyway and other than you I don't have anyone that cares about me here. I think this is for the best." Sarah looked down at her hands and began picking at her nails, waiting for her friend to blow up.

Gabrielle looked between the two of them, Sarah just looked lost and Jareth was watching her with concern. She sighed and moved off the bed, kneeling at Sarah's feet and grabbing hold of her hands.

"I'm not mad Sarah. I've been really worried about you lately, and if he can help you then I'm all for you moving," she pulled the other girl into a hug and when she pulled back she got to her feet, moving back to her previous position on the bed. She gave Jareth a stern look, trying to look intimidating but not succeeding too well. "You had better look after her Jareth."

Jareth nodded slowly, "That is my intention Gabrielle."

"Good," she turned back to Sarah and regarded her for a long moment before finally speaking again. "So when are you leaving?"

"Today I think. But I'll try and come back and visit you soon alright?"

"You had better!"

The two friends got up and hugged once more before bidding each other farewell and soon enough Sarah and Jareth were back in Sarah's flat, packing up the few belongings she wished to take with her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of it's characters, places etc. **

**Warning: This fic involves somebody suffering depression and it's symptoms including talk of suicide and self-harm. There shouldn't be anything graphic but if you're uncomfortable about that kind of thing then I'd advise you to hit the 'back' button now. **

**Lithium**

**Chapter 7**

Finally they were ready to go, Sarah's belonging's packed and ready and now Jareth was just waiting for the brunette to get off the phone to her real estate agent after advising them that she was moving out.

By the time Sarah got off the phone Jareth was tapping his foot distractedly, thinking about just what he was going to do with her once they reached the Underground.

Sarah hung up the phone and looked at the blonde, raising an eye brow when he didn't acknowledge the fact that she was finally done.

"Ah Jareth? You ready to go now?"

He finally looked at her and nodded slowly before a smirk crossed his face. "Of course, Sarah."

He summoned a crystal and threw it at her few bags and they disappeared. Then he turned to her and answered her unasked question. "Don't worry, your things are now in what will be your quarters in my castle. Now come here." He held out a hand to her and Sarah now felt a tiny seed of doubt in her mind, she quickly banished the thought and took his outstretched hand. He pulled her closer to him and whispered, "Hold on."

A moment later Sarah felt as if she couldn't breathe, but was still aware of Jareth's grip on her and clenched her fists around his shirt, and then as quickly as it began, it was over. She felt solid ground beneath her feet once more and stumbled slightly, Jareth steadying her before she could fall.

"Alright there now Sarah?"

She blushed and pulled away from him, finally taking a look at her surroundings.

"Like what you see?" he asked.

She gave a slight nod and finally looked back at him. "It looks so different," she said at last.

"Well I would hope so. The goblins don't venture into this part of the castle, they are restricted to what serves as an entrance hall as well as a kind of throne room where I spend some time with them on a regular basis. The rest of my castle is kept in better condition, or so I like to think."

"Evidently," she said softly, still looking around the room in awe.

He smirked at her expression and cleared his throat causing Sarah to look back to him, she looked a little sheepish that she had been staring but after seeing the smug expression on Jareth's face she just rolled her eyes.

"Would you like to see your rooms now Sarah?"

"Yes, thank you."

He led her down a long hall and they finally turned off heading up some stairs, they walked a little way along another hall when Jareth stopped in front of a set of doors made of dark wood with ornate carvings of the Labyrinth adorning the surface.

She reached out a hand and traced the carvings, Jareth deciding to wait until she was done before he handed her a key and stepped back, allowing her to unlock the door.

"Go ahead, these are your rooms Sarah, and you will be the only one with a key."

"I- thank you, really," she said softly before slipping the key into the lock and turning it, hearing the soft click of the latch she pushed the handle down and opened the door.

It was a beautiful room, done in a forest greens and soft browns with dark wood furniture, the wardrobe doors as well as the headboard of the four poster queen bed had carvings similar to those on the door. Sarah's things were already put away in the room and she looked about, instantly falling in love with the suite.

"It's amazing Jareth," she turned to him once she had finished scanning the room and smiled brightly at him before hugging him and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"You're welcome Sarah. Now I'm afraid I'll have to leave you, I have been rather…lax of late when it comes to my kingdom and I have some things that I need to set to rights."

She nodded, looking only a little disappointed that he would be leaving her again so soon.

"Don't worry, I'll return in a few hours and will join you for dinner. Also I think I will need to show you around a little later."

"Alright then, I'll see you in a few hours," she still didn't look truly convinced, everyone had left her in the past, so what was stopping him. She absently began to scratch at her arm.

He turned to leave but before he did he turned back around and pulled Sarah into his arms, taking her hands in his own, "Sarah I want nothing more than to see you happy, I did take you away from there to abandon you here. I will be back shortly I promise." With that he pressed a soft but loving kiss to her mouth before he once again turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Sarah looked at the door a little stunned before finally smiling; her life was really going to change now. She was with Jareth at last; she was far away from her old life that she had grown to hate so much.

She sat back on her bed and thought back on her life, the good and the bad and the last few months in particular. She had pulled through everything and now she was going to let herself be happy and feel loved for the first time in seemingly forever. She had had some healing to do but only time could do that. Time, and a little help from a certain Goblin King. She could be happy at last.

Fin

_A/N: This is the last chapter, though there will be an epilogue. While I could continue I don't want this to just become rubbish and I'm afraid that would happen if I tried to drag it out. So the epilogue will be up soon and until then reviews are very much appreciated, I love to know what my readers think, whether it be that a chapter was total crap or that they loved it._


	8. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of it's characters, places etc. **

**Warning: This fic involves somebody suffering depression and it's symptoms including talk of suicide and self-harm. There shouldn't be anything graphic but if you're uncomfortable about that kind of thing then I'd advise you to hit the 'back' button now. **

**Lithium**

**Epilogue - Two Years Later**

Sarah stood out on her balcony overlooking the Labyrinth. She smoothed down the skirt of her simple forest green dress and brushed her long dark hair away from her face before taking the time to just watch the sun set on the horizon.

As the sky slowly darkened she watched as the goblins returned to their homes for the evening, smiling to herself as she saw Hoggle returning through the gates after a day of work in the Labyrinth. She let her thoughts drift to the first three friends she had made in this place; Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus. She saw them all on a regular basis now, and they helped her get through some low points in the last two years.

While the depression she had been lost in for so long had not disappeared the moment she had returned to the Underground, Jareth and her friends had helped her get through the worst of it. She still had bad days but she knew that now, no matter how lost and alone she felt, there was always someone there to help her.

She absently let her fingers run over the now fading scars on her left arm. While she hated them in many ways because they were a reminder of her past and just how far she had fallen, they were also a way to remind herself what she had gotten past and survived.

Brushing aside those thoughts she turned to go inside, only to come face to face with Jareth.

"Hello there love, nice night isn't it?" he asked, indicating the darkened sky.

Sarah nodded absently, a hint of surprise in her eyes as she realised how long she had been standing out here. "Yes it is," she finally answered.

"Come on Sarah, it's almost time for supper and it's beginning to cool off out here. We wouldn't want you getting sick in your condition now would we," he said, pressing his hand to the slight swell of her abdomen.

"Of course now Jareth," she said, smiling sweetly and finally seeming to snap out of her thoughts. "Besides, I'm starving. I am eating for two after all."

Jareth just rolled his eyes at her, having lost count of the amount of times she said that particular phrase a day. When she went to say something else he simply pressed his lips against hers until she began to move into the kiss, at which point the pulled away, leaving Sarah giving him an expression rather like a kitten being denied cream.

"The most effective and rewarding way to shut you up my dear Queen," he said with a smirk.

Sarah gave a half hearted glare to her husband and slapped his arm away from her, smiling to herself once she had pushed past him. When she reached the door she turned to look at him. "Coming Jareth? Like I said, I'm starving and I can hardly wait to get through dinner so that we can get to dessert."

At that comment and the look in Sarah's eye he hurried after her, knowing that she had him wrapped around her little finger. Only problem was that after two years, she knew it too.

FIN

_AN: Sorry if there's anyone who hates the way things turned out, but it was never going to be a death fic or anything too dark, I wanted her to get better and I said this wouldn't be very long. There were a few people who said that "people don't just get over depression that fast" and other things to that effect after chapter 7 but I never said that she was over it. Of course she wasn't over it, depression isn't something that just disappears, and while I haven't gone into detail in the epilogue I have made it fairy clear that she did continue to suffer problems after the fact and while she is pretty much fine at the 2 years later mark even then she still has down days. Personally I find that fairly believeable. I mean not everyone with depression deals with it or recovers from it the same way. Sorry for ranting and taking so long to post the sadly short epilogue but RL sucks and I had no motivation to write anything. Hope that clears things up for you all, and yes I made her pregnant cause I have a thing for babies lol, and no there will be no sequel. Thank you for reading, hope you found it at least a little enjoyable if you made it this far._


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